RE: Makevember : Wire Frame Christmas Trees

phoenixcomm — Fri, 15 Nov 2019 02:37:07 GMT

interesting project. I would like to make a Hanuka Menora something like that but have a little rotary switch with a diode matrix or just eight small switches, for the 8 nights. maybe I could convert one of my old ones??

RE: Makevember : Wire Frame Christmas Trees

dubbie — Thu, 14 Nov 2019 20:52:49 GMT

I can see all the text and thew photographs now. I wonder what happened. Maybe it is something to do with Internet Explorer. Or something. I often find that something is the cause of many problems.

Dubbie

RE: Makevember : Wire Frame Christmas Trees

jw0752 — Tue, 12 Nov 2019 23:09:32 GMT

Hi Dubbie,

I got curious and decided to run my own experiment with some 3.16 mm ( 1/8 inch ) aluminum ground wire that I had in the shop. Here is the initial shape of the wire:

[View:/resized-image/__size/620x465/__key/commentfiles/f7d226abd59f475c9d224a79e3f0ec07-9ab1dd8b-46ca-4344-90eb-41e29ebf8c5a/5025.contentimage_5F00_205127.jpg:620:465]

I put the wire in the vise and drill and pulled as tight as I could and it looked like this. At this stage there would still be quite a bit of bend in the wire if I hadn't twisted it.

[View:/resized-image/__size/620x465/__key/commentfiles/f7d226abd59f475c9d224a79e3f0ec07-9ab1dd8b-46ca-4344-90eb-41e29ebf8c5a/3872.contentimage_5F00_205128.jpg:620:465]

I began to twist the wire with the drill and I watched the tight bend near the center of the wire as I hoped it would totally disappear.

[View:/resized-image/__size/620x465/__key/commentfiles/f7d226abd59f475c9d224a79e3f0ec07-9ab1dd8b-46ca-4344-90eb-41e29ebf8c5a/1738.contentimage_5F00_205129.jpg:620:465]

As you can see things did get better but the tight bend did not disappear completely. I put a lot more twists per meter of length into this wire than I usually have to. I am not sure if it was the aluminum or just the tightness of the bend I was hoping to eliminate. At some point it is prudent to stop twisting as twisting puts the same weakness into the wire that bending it back and forth would. The twisting is a compromise whereby we sacrifice some strength for the straightness. In most cases the loss of strength is inconsequential compared to the improved appearance of the finished project. If you continue the twisting, the wire will eventually twist off at its weakest point which is usually right at the point it is held in the vice or the point where it enters the drill chuck.

Here is the finished wire:

[View:/resized-image/__size/620x465/__key/commentfiles/f7d226abd59f475c9d224a79e3f0ec07-9ab1dd8b-46ca-4344-90eb-41e29ebf8c5a/5504.contentimage_5F00_205130.jpg:620:465]

I usually work with 10, 12, and 14 Gauge copper and I straighten 3 to 4 meter lengths. Usually there are no tight bends just a curve left from the coiled condition of the original packaging of the wire. In these circumstances the wire straightens almost perfectly with only minimal twisting involved.

This is an aside on a non-related subject. In astrophysics the Universe has shown itself to be remarkably FLAT. This means that the geometry of Euclid applies. While I am not an expert I could sense in my readings that it was a bit if a surprise to those that are experts that this condition of FLATNESS is so precise. After working with bent wire I always wondered if there might be some analog in the early Universe to the twisting of the wire such as spinning that might have contributed to the Flatness that we observe today.

John

RE: Makevember : Wire Frame Christmas Trees

jw0752 — Mon, 11 Nov 2019 21:51:56 GMT

Hi Dubbie,

This looks like a fun project and while it may seem simple there are always side effects and challenges to make it more fun. How did you handle the electrical with the different voltage drops in the different color LEDs? I was guessing a series with constant current but perhaps you had a better idea.

John

RE: Makevember : Wire Frame Christmas Trees

genebren — Mon, 11 Nov 2019 20:23:27 GMT

Dubbie,

Fun and festive. This is a nice creative project that you can tweet and tune until you find the right formula.

Gene

RE: Makevember : Wire Frame Christmas Trees

fmilburn — Mon, 11 Nov 2019 17:29:34 GMT

I may try something like this with the grandkids...